Nations Who Haven’t Adopted The Metric System
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Science, The WorldAhem…
(pssst, you can click on the picture for a bigger version)
This entry was posted on Saturday, June 30th, 2007 and is filed under Science, The World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
July 1st, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Technically, the US has adopted the metric system as the official, legal standard. Did so decades ago.
It’s just that there is no legal requirement to use the metric system. And so the usage of the English system is pervasive.
July 1st, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Another “I’m so ashamed of my country” post. Gotta love the Justin.
July 1st, 2007 at 6:12 pm
And yet ‘ya keep on coming back and commenting. I must be doing something right, eh?
And hey, I’ll be first in line to give America a high5 when it deserves it. But seriously…why no metric system big business?
Ahem…
July 1st, 2007 at 8:22 pm
although, that ketel one and lorazepam i bought the other day were both measured in SI. alcohol and pharmaceuticals aren’t big business?
July 1st, 2007 at 10:31 pm
What’s the big deal about the metric system?
July 2nd, 2007 at 6:48 am
[...] The United States finds itself in good company with Liberia and Myanmar as one of only three countries that have yet to adopt the metric system. (HT to Coming Anarchy) [...]
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:36 am
Metric system holdouts
Click for larger map
USA
Liberia
Myanmar
Via Donklephant.
…
July 2nd, 2007 at 10:34 am
In Britain they use inches, feet, miles ect…to measure distance, and “stones,” which are equivalent to 14 pounds, to measure weight. I would say they are hold-outs too.
Besides, isn’t a world-wide metric system merely an effect of global European colonialism? If the world continues to go metric, won’t this give another legitamate grievance for terrorists to attack us?
July 2nd, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Anyone remember that lovely Mars lander that crashed because some of the programmers were using metric and others were using English units? Only one of many problems this has caused.
Years ago I spent quite a while modifying a program that acts as a 3d graphical front end for 5 different geographical simulators (yeah, I sold my soul to the evil corporate oil empire for a while). The original program was hard-coded to use only English units of measure, and I changed it to switch back and forth between whichever units you wanted. Only then would any country other than America touch the thing with a 10 foot (err…3 meter) pole.
Our country’s population is so backwards scientifically that many still believe evolution is a vicious plot by atheists to destroy religion and morality, and that the hype about global warming is a communist plot to destroy our economy.
July 2nd, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Just don’t make me order my beer in half litres…
July 2nd, 2007 at 11:07 pm
I’m proud not to use the metric system. Why all the ‘shame’? I thought the peecee crowd would welcome this news. What a bunch of conformist line-marchers! What’s wrong with diversity? History? Tradition? Stubbornness?